Modular Security Suite [MSS]TM

ABSTRACT

A suite of hardened high security steel &amp; concrete modules for protection of people, pets and valuables during a tornado, hurricane, home intrusion or other emergency. A Modular Security Suite [MSS™] is an above ground set of two or more rooms whose steel plate walls extend deep down into a building&#39;s concrete or other material foundation and are primarily anchored by the foundation&#39;s steel reinforcement rods and the weight of building&#39;s concrete foundation. After construction and interior decoration a MSS unit disappears into the home or office floorplan. A MSS unit could include a full bathroom, kitchenette or pantry and a hallway module with built-in bunk beds. Its steel plate walls are filled with concrete and rerod to greatly increase its resistance to serve weather and debris. The design&#39;s hallway module and its two steel and concrete pocket doors protect its interior doorways from damage and provides two exits.

REFERENCES CITED

4,126,972 Nov. 28, 1978 Silen 5,979,128 Nov. 09, 1999 Parsons 6,334,278 Jan. 01, 2002 Arnold 6,393,776 May 28, 2002 Waller, et al 6,415,558 Jul. 09, 2002 Cherry

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING VIEWS

FIG. 1 Side view of pocket door and footing system. The pocket doors will will remain open during normal everyday use and be closed and locked during emergencies.

FIG. 2 Side view of building footings and anchoring means. The sub-footing is optional. End users will decide if they need more anchoring security.

FIG. 3 Side view of pocket door's carpet trolley. This feature allows the attached carpet, wood flooring or other materials to display well during everyday use and store in the adjacent wall during emergencies.

Note: This filing does not include any new material other than as requested by the USPTO in it letter of Dec. 28, 2007; RE: NPA Ser. No. 11/895,715.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART

NOAA and other serve weather forecasters are predicting a cyclical increase in the number of hurricanes for the next ten years or so as well as those hurricanes are predicted to be more intense and damaging at least partially due to significant warming of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean waters. Similar finds are also being predicted globally.

Furthermore, inland tornadoes and tornadoes spun-off hurricanes are on the increase and seem to be more numerous and more damaging in recent years. In 2004 & 2005 Florida and the U.S. Gulf coast experienced a series of devastating hurricanes and associated tornadoes some of with were Hurricane Category 4 & 5. In May of 1999, an F-5 tornado was Doppler-radar clocked at 318 MPH just east of Oklahoma City, Ok.; a world record for surface wind speed. Therefore, a next generation design for hurricanes, tornadoes and safe rooms was needed to meet the personal security or irreplaceable private property needs of families and businesses. The Modular Security Suite™ utility design is intended to significant boost home, office and school security but also to be “Dual Use” space that would get regular everyday use but could be converted for emergency use in seconds.

Moreover, this next generation design should add significant value to homes and offices so equipped, should appraise higher than comparables without a Modular Security Suite and should help sellers reduce days on the market when selling a home with a “Security Suite™”.

Typically, other storm shelter and safe room designs know to the inventor are not “Dual Use” and are made of significantly less robust or strong materials. Many are intended for short stays and do not have either a W.C. or a kitchenette or food pantry. Only the MSS design has put forward adding a hallway modular which protects interior doors from storm debris and thus significantly improves ones odds of easily exiting such a storm shelter or safe room when the danger has passed. Additionally, its vertical steel pipe “studs” will help protect families from fallen trees and optional water tight interior doors would “buy time” for escape via its ceiling escape hatch when water are rising outside.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In summary, a Modular Security Suite is intended to add security and value to any building it is attached to or embedded within. It is furthermore intended to be reasonable comfortable for people and pets during a fast moving tornado [perhaps 20-30 minutes], a slow moving hurricane [sometimes longer than 24 hours] or while local police remove intruders from a private home, a bank, a school, et al. And unlike an SUV or other new car a Modular Security Suite should appreciate with time and could become the most valued amenity for families in an era of more severe and more frequent hurricanes and tornadoes and more looting in the wake of disasters or large scale mandatory hurricane, etc. evacuations.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The Oklahoma MSS model is 100 S.F. in overall size, is at that size exempt from Oklahoma State real property taxes [only the storm shelter or safe room] and it would include W.C., kitchenette and hallway modules.

Its interior and exterior steel plate walls would be about 0.25″ thick with welded vertical 3″ steel pipe studs about every 2-3 foot within its steel wall system/concrete form. The two pocket doors at either end of the hallway module would be made like the steel & concrete walls and ceiling elsewhere in the MSS design. Each room or module would have at least two exits and one room would also have a pull-down set of steps for a third exiting via a ceiling emergency escape hatch. Once this basic MSS is installed, concrete added, fixtures added and the interior decoration is complete the “Dual Use” design would “disappear” into the home or office floorplan and would not be obvious to a casual visitor. Several larger and smaller “Security Suites” models would be offered for smaller and larger than average homes, etc.; i.e., individual architects, structural engineers and property owners would decide on exact wall thicknesses, size and type of building materials to be used, number and size of Modular Security Suite rooms, etc. 

1) The Modular Security Suite modules are bolted to a concrete footing that is below the grade of the concrete foundation of the building in which it is embedded. Optionally, “U”-shaped steel bolts threaded at each end would increase anchoring strength of the footing vs. conventional straight threaded steel footing bolts. Thusly the MSS design has several overlaying and complimentary means to anchor the MSS unit above ground level to the foundation of a building. 2) The MSS steel core pocket doors and double hardwood or other material(s) hallway doors—at either end of the hallway module—are positioned and how they guard the inner doors from high speed debris impacts during a tornado, hurricane or other disaster. The MSS pocket door will interface with hallway module carpeting, wood flooring or other floor covering material(s). The MSS trolley would be a solid piece of wood or other material(s) for horizontal movement and storage while the pocket door is closed or it could be made of a flexible material that would with counter weighting allow for its vertical storage when horizontal space is not available. 3) The MSS ceiling is designed to be filled with concrete and rerod during installation at the building site. 